Buxum Box should take what airlines dish out

As a regular traveler and someone who once drove the transfer shuttle between Geneva’s airport and a certain Morzine chalet, I’ve seen some impressive airline-induced bicycle damage. Nobody enjoys spending the first day of a mountain bike holiday or the night before an event searching (and paying over the odds for) replacement components. The team behind the Buxum line of boxes (not buxom, OK?) has been there- and are now selling what look like the most fortress-like flight cases on the market.

That certainly looks solid

Sure, the Ventoux model’s empty 15kg (33lb) weight will incur airline fees and baggage handler rage, but the case’s construction looks set to take the latter. A $900 (£540) cost of entry means that the former is probably not an issue for Buxum customers either.

Nothing says ‘I’m with the band’ like rivets and draw catches.

No mountain bikes are pictured – and thru axles may present challenges – but the system does appear well thought out. At least for road bikes, packing only requires wheel and seatpost removal. A cross-brace means that Buxum Boxes can be stacked on their sides without crushing the bikes inside. So that users aren’t blindsided at the ticket counter, Buxum even has a handy guide to airline fees on their website.

It’s a bike in a box! Wheels will fit in here too

Based in Hong Kong, Buxum will even make custom cases- “within certain physical limits and the limits of physics.” Custom decals and logos are also available. Insane, maybe- but for regular travelers these cases might make traveling with a bike a bit less stressful.

Make sense for those traveling regularly with a £5,000, 6.8 KG road bike though.

Worked at the Bolton iron Man a few years back, came across an American guy who’d paid the extortionate entry fee, gained a few thousand dollars of Charity sponsorship and trained like mad for 18 months, only for the baggage handlers to write his bike off and there wasn’t time to get it fixed.

Probably makes more sense to send your bike as air freight to your hotel and buy a huge Pelicase or audio equipment box. You get tracking info then which is probably more reassuring than normal baggage handling.